1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a door latch mechanism and, more particularly, to a latch mechanism for a glove box door which locks the glove box in a closed position during a crash.
2. Discussion
The performance of an automobile during a collision has become increasingly scrutinized in recent years. Crash performance tests are now quantified for structural damage of the automobile body as well as occupant injuries in relation to government standards and often relied upon by consumers during the selection of an automobile. In general, it is desirable to retain the components of the automobile in their pre-crash position during and subsequent to impact in order to minimize occupant injury. More particularly, retaining both large and small automobile components in their pre-crash position allows the highly engineered cockpit of the vehicle to perform as anticipated.
An area of particular concern in the present invention is retaining the glove box of the vehicle in a closed position during a crash. During a frontal collision the passenger of the vehicle will often times be thrust forward whereupon the occupant's knee impacts the glove box causing deformation of the glove box lid and/or latch mechanism. In commonly used latches, deformation of this type allows the glove box to move to its open position thereby presenting protruding surfaces that may cause additional injury to the passenger. The prior art has failed to provide a latch mechanism that adequately resists or accommodates the high deformation forces commonly generated during a crash.